Live Music Review //
Michael Slyne / L'Eclipse Nue / Jo Bled / Angel Piss
March 31st, 2023
@ Warehouse 3, New London CT


Additional photos can be found in a Facebook album here :::

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1218522818877937&type=3


  What I love about music in modern times is that everyone playing a show can feel connected without sounding exactly the same.    This was such a uniquely interesting show because on one hand it was the first performance of Angel Piss so you didn't really know what to expect going into that, but then you have the other three artists all sort of doing their own things but yet still somehow feeling like it's on that same wavelength.

The show began with Angel Piss and it was their first show.   There were electronics and a cello, which I didn't know was going to happen but I was excited when I saw the cello because I had Quentin with me and it hopefully gave him some inspiration.    The sound of Angel Piss was somewhere between noise and harsh noise, as times it felt like there was speaking and other times it got distorted and felt like screaming.

There was more going on during this set than even I was aware of, but the way it all came together to forge one sound is definitely something you'll want to experience.   It just felt like at times we were riding this wave of beauty and then we'd hit this patch where everything just got loud.   It was that chaos within the beauty that made it feel unexpected yet comforting,

Jo Bled was on second and is another example of an artist you should go out of your way to see.   Jo Bled had one rather large drum which was used the entire time.  What changed was the instruments used to bang the drum and those which were on the drum.   Sometimes a bell would be on the drum and create a sound as Jo Bled hit the drum.  But other times, Jo Bled would just hit the bell while it was on the drum.

This sound and how it was created lead to an impressive feeling which it sent out.  The percussion somewhat put me into a trance.  This made me feel as if I was in this calm, meditative type of state.   What feels odd about that is you're listening to a drum and at times it sped up in pace as well.   The music itself didn't feel calm, but the fact that it could make me feel calm was almost like magic.

L'Eclipse Nue was up next and this sound was harsh noise and perhaps the loudest of the show.  Manipulating electronics and vocals put out this industrial type of sound that, to me, is in many ways what noise should sound like because it's just so in your face.  While there are certainly noise artists who can feel more fun or just in the background, this was not one of those times with L'Eclipse Nue.

I am of that strong belief that music should make you feel something.   And if that something which you feel is your ears hurting or just that general idea of "Oh, this is too loud for me", then I consider that a success.   This set was just so perfect for me, as Quentin covered his ears behind me, and it just seemed to further how incredible this show was overall.

Michael Slyne was the headliner and when I saw him a few months back at Willimantic Records, I thought this set would be similar to that.   It was at first, as there were sounds of electronics and guitar which felt somewhat trippy but also ambient.  It just had a way of filling up the entire room like a soundscape but in the most unthreatening of ways.

Then the more harsh sounds came through and the set just felt like it started as this pretty painting that we all saw being painted and now it was being destroyed in the most glorious of ways.   Through spoken words, Michael Slyne asked us some questions before leaving his guitar in the middle of the floor before the end of the set.   For someone as old as I am, I always feel like I have that "I've seen it all" mentality and so you don't expect to have these life changing experiences in music, but Michael Slyne brought it.  

Should you have the chance to see any of these artists on any type of shows, you should certainly go out of your way to do so because I would watch any of these artists play again as often as I can.   The music scene in Connecticut seems to be in such a great place and this show is another undeniable example of that.  


Angel Piss can be found on Instagram here :::

Jo Bled can be found on Bandcamp here :::

L'Eclipse Nue can be found on Bandcamp here :::

Michael Slyne can be found on Bandcamp here :::

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